September 20, 2008

So, a while ago, I mentioned to R that I couldn't get soups into the consistency I wanted them to be. She said I should use the blender, nay, not just any blender, a good blender.

Turns out, daddy got us a *good* bar blender. You know, good enough to crush ice into bar drinks that would make daddy proud. So, I actually had a good blender, I was just foolishly trying to purée soups in the cuisinart.

Ever since that conversation, I've taken her advice and blended some deliciously creamy and perfectly even purées in the blender. E, food consistency obsessive that he is, has considered this a marked improvement in our kitchen's output.

Last week, R visited briefly, and left behind some fancy cream cheese remnants. One, an orange concoction, still sits chilled in our fridge, waiting for its demise. The other, a cream cheese and herb blend, however, made its way into a delicious mid-week bisque (we used the cream cheese in place of cream). In fact, E and I enjoyed it hot the first time and chilled the second time -- it was a hit both times and we were surprised at how filling it was, given its very healthy ingredients. I hope you will enjoy it as well.

1. Melt butter in a large stew pot over medium heat.2. Sautee onions and garlic in butter for 2 minutes.3. Add cauliflower and broccoli and stir, cover with broth move to medium high heat, stir, cover and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring regularly.4. Add minced fresh herbs, stir, and continue to simmer.5. Check tenderness of vegetables, if they are still hard to break apart with a spoon, add water and continue to simmer until tender.6. Using a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to a blender and blend on high until pureed. Return to pot and remove remaining vegetables with slotted spoon for their purée cycle. 7. For the last batch of vegetables, add the cream cheese and 1/2 a cup of water, purée until perfectly creamy.8. Return creamy purée to pot, stir until evenly mixed throughout.

Allow to cool until it is able to be eaten, add black pepper to taste (or even hot sauce) and enjoy!